"The principal purpose in writing these essays is to make available to the reader a much broader understanding of the practice of music in earlier
societies than that which is provided in traditional music history texts." ~ David Whitwell
About David Whitwell

NOTE: CHANGES IN ESSAYS AVAILABILITY

A number of essays by David Whitwell previously listed on this site have now been converted into new soft-cover books available on Amazon Books or through www.whitwellbooks.com

For the reader’s convenience we have listed here the names of the new books together with the individual essays they contain with their original essay numbers previously used on this essay site.

ESSAYS ON EARLY MUSIC

Ancient Views on Music and Religion

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[5] Ancient Views on Music and Religion

[16] Ancient Views on Music and Prophesy

Ancient Hebrew Views on Music and Religion

[6] Ancient Views on Music and Religion among the Romans and Early Christians

[15] Ancient Views on Music in Heaven

[87] St. Augustine’s Views on Music

[7] Ancient Views on Roman Church Music during the Dark Ages

[8] Ancient Views on Roman Church Music during the Pre-Renaissance

[91] St. Thomas Aquinas’ Views on Music

[9] Ancient Views on Roman Church Music during the 14th Century

[10] Ancient Views on Roman Church Music during the 15th Century

[11] Ancient Views on Music during the 16th Century

[12] Martin Luther on Music

[13] Praetorius on 16th Century Performance Practice

[14] Ancient Views on Church Music in the Baroque

Ancient Views on the Natural World

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[3] The Ancient Voice of Pythagoras

[2] On the Music of the Spheres, 'the Sacred Madness'

[33] Early Views on Music Therapy

[34] 'to soothe a savage breast'

[31] Ancient Views on Music and Movement

[32] Ancient Views on Music and Oratory

[36] Ancient Voices Wonder: Are Musicians Born or Made?

[37] Ancient Voices Wonder: Is Music Genetic?

[35] Ancient Views on Geography and Music

[62] Weird Science

Early Views on Music and Ethics

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[38] On Music and Character Formation

[39] On Music and Manners

[40] On the Character of the Performer

[41] Women not Allowed

[42] Ancient Artists and the Public

[43] Renaissance Artists and the Public

[44] Baroque Artists and the Public

[45] 19th Century Artists and the Public

[54] Early Views on Criticism

Ancient Views on What is Music?

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[17] Ancient Voices ask: What is Music?

[68] On Ancient Gods of Music

[69] On Ancient Muses and Myths

[29] On Divine Inspiration

[19] Is Music Math?

[18] Is Music Theory or Performance?

[21] Early Voices Argue: Reason versus Experience

[25] Early Voices Struggle to Explain the Emotions

[1] Animals and Music

[22] Is Man Ruled by Reason or Emotion?

[23] Some Early Voices Intuit the Bicameral Mind

[24] The Secret Agenda: Right-Hand Preference

[26] Music is the Ruler of the Passions of the Soul

[27] On the Doctrine of the Affections

[20] Music is Truth

[30] Music as the Language of Truth

[28] The End of Music: Catharsis

Early Thoughts on Performance Practice

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[70] What Was Ancient Greek Music Like?

[71] On the Ancient Greek Modes

[75] On the Social Standing of Music in Ancient Societies

[81] Music Viewed by Early Church Philosophers

[88] Boethius

[89] Cassiodorus

[90] Late Medieval Music Treatises

[52] Early Reflections on Repertoire

[63] Early Reflections on Acoustics and the Perception of Music

[64] Early Experience with the ‘Pyramid Principle’

[65] Early Reflections on Tempo

[66] Early Reflections on Instruments and Ensembles

[67] Early Views on Percussion

[61] Early Views on Memorization

Contemporary Descriptions of Early Musicians

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[48] On Early Performers

[49] On Early Singers

[50] On the Ancient Rhapsodist

[51] Women Performers of the Ancient World

[53] On Ancient Conductors

[74] On the Aulos

[80] On the Ancient Trumpet

[97] On the Medieval Trumpet

[82] On the Jongleur

[83] On the Minstrel

[92] On the Troubadours

[93] Music of the French Romances

[94] On the Minnesingers

[95] On the Goliards

Music Performance in Ancient Societies

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[77] On Secular Music in Ancient Societies

[78] On Secular Festivals in Ancient Greece and Rome

[46] On Ancient Concert Halls

[47] On Memories of Ancient Concerts

[72] On the Ancient Greek Chorus

[73] On the Ancient Roman Chorus

[76] On Music in Ancient Courts

[60] Theater Music in the Ancient World

[55] On Music Competition in the Ancient World

[56] Entertainment Music in the Ancient World

[57] Banquet Music in the Ancient World

[58] Wedding Music in the Ancient World

[59] Funeral Music in the Ancient World

[79] Military Music in the Ancient World

[96] Medieval Military Music

[84] Music of the Medieval Courts

[85] Medieval Civic Music

[86] On the Medieval Chorus

Renaissance Men on Music

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[99] Guillaume de Machaut on Music

[100] Francesco Petrarch on Music

[101] Giovanni Boccaccio on Music

[102] Geoffrey Chaucer on Music

[104] Leonardo da Vinci on Music

[108] Baldassare Castiglione on Music

[110] Michaelangelo on Art and Music

[113] Girolamo Cardano on Music

[117] Erasmus on Music

[111] The Academies

Essays on Renaissance Philosophies of Music

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[98] On Music and Society in the 14th Century

[109] On the “Well-Rounded Man”

[127] In Praise of Women

[103] On Music and Society in the 15th Century:

[105] Johannes Tinctorius on Music

[115] On Music and Society in the 16th Century - The Opposition by the Church

[107] Polyphony, the Child of Mathematics, is left on the Steps of the Church

[106] On Music and Society in the 16th Century: The Spread of Italian Humanism

[116] Erasmus on Humanism

[112] On Music and Society in the 16th Century: The Growing Irrelevance of the Universities

[128] Contemporary Reflections on the Aesthetic Values of Music

[129] Contemporary Descriptions on Performance Practice

[130] Contemporary Descriptions of Improvisation

Philosophy and Performance Practice of Music during the Italian Baroque

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[143] On Defining the Italian Baroque

[144] Thoughts on the Beginning of Italian Opera

[145] On Court Music of the Italian Baroque

[146] On Civic and Military Music of the Italian Baroque

[147] On Church Music of the Italian Baroque

[148] Italian View on Baroque Performance Practice

[149] Kircher on Music

[150] Thoughts of Music of the Spanish Baroque

Philosophy and Performance Practice of Music during the German Baroque

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[151] Thoughts on the Musical Scene in Baroque Germany

[152] On Emotion in Music in the German Baroque

[153] On Court Music in the German Baroque

[154] On the Hautboisten

[155] On Civic Music of the German Baroque

[156] On Instruments in Church Music of Baroque Germany

[157] On the Golden Age of the Trumpet in Germany

[158] On the Influence of Turkish Music

[159] On German Military Music of the Baroque

[160] A few Comments on German Performance Practice

[161] Mattheson on the Nature of Music

[162] Mattheson on Emotion in Music

[163] Mattheson on the Composition of Good Melody

[164] Mattheson on Performance

[165] Leibniz on Music

Philosophy and Performance Practice of Music during the French Baroque

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[166] On Court Music in the French Baroque

[167] On French Military Music of the Baroque

[168] On Some Views of French Baroque Musicians

[169] Mersenne on the Nature of Music

[170] Mersenne on Performance

[171] French Philosophers on Music

[172] French Philosophers on the Character of French Musicians

[173] French Philosophers on Opera

[174] Descartes on Music

[175] The French Theater on Music

[176] Music in French Fiction

[177] Music in French Non-Fiction

[178] Voltaire on Music

[179] Voltaire on Opera

Philosophy and Performance Practice of Music during Jacobean England

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"

[180] Music at the Jacobean Court

[181] Music in the Masque

[182] Jacobean Church Music

[183] Civic Music in the English Baroque

[184] Music in Jacobean Society

[185] Entertainment Music in Baroque England

[186] Military Music of the English Baroque

[187] Views by English Musicians of the Baroque

[188] Contemporary Views on Performance Practice

[189] North on Music

[190] Jacobean Philosophers on Music

[191] Bacon on Music

[192] Music in Jacobean Poetry

[193] Milton on Music

[194] Music in the Jacobean Theater

[195] Music in English Prose

Philosophy and Performance Practice of Music during the English Restoration

Available on Amazon BooksSearch under the author's name "David Whitwell"